| There's a new "Lil'" on the hip-hop scene, and this one truly is, well, lil'. Despite his mini status, 11-year-old Lil' Romeo could almost qualify as a music industry veteran, not to mention the closest thing to a royal hip-hop heir. This whodie's been appearing on wax since he was drinking from sippy cups. A family dinner at Romeo's would see the likes of Master P (daddy), C-Murder (uncle #1) and Silkk the Shocker (uncle #2). And he already has to fend off the ladies at the mall, like any seasoned superstar. With his self-titled debut (July 3), the No Limit colonel is ready for his son to bring his label to the next level. Romeo's already become the youngest solo artist to top the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart with his first single, "My Baby." "This is the first time we ever put an album out and didn't have to sticker it," Master P has boasted. "This is something bigger than me, Snoop or Silkk." Romeo will be hitting the road this summer — with Uncle Silkk in tow — opening up some dates for one of his favorite groups, 'NSYNC. Before heading out on tour, Romeo took some time to talk to Rahman Dukes about family, hoop dreams, the ABCs and pal Lil' Bow Wow. ***MTV: How do you juggle school and all your other activities while you're making an album? Lil' Romeo: I got a tutor now that goes around the world with me 'cause education comes first. If I didn't know how to read, I wouldn't be rapping. MTV: Do you miss being in school like all the other kids? Romeo: Yeah, but you gotta do what you gotta do. MTV: Has your relationship with friends changed? Romeo: My regular friends knew me before I was a rapper, but when I started making my songs, they were like, "I heard your song on the radio and it's weird 'cause I knew you before you was a rapper." It felt weird to them because they were sitting right next to me and I was making songs. But I got regular friends and I'm a regular kid. MTV: You're on a pretty dominant label. No Limit has been really successful, sold millions of records, your father and uncles are really big stars. Do you feel pressured at all to keep the success going? Romeo: No, I don't feel pressure at all 'cause they guide me a lot and they help me. They tell me what to do and what not to do. MTV: How much input do you have in the projects? Do you suggest beats to them or do you ever tell them if you don't like a certain beat? Romeo: I let the producer do the beats and just let them think what's good, and we be seeing if I could do something off there. I write my songs, and my dad helps me when I need help. MTV: What do you think about being a rap star? What does that mean to you? Romeo: Making music the people wanna hear and [making music] for the kids, and just having fun when you do it. MTV: How did your career get started? Romeo: Me and my cousin used to go in the studio while my dad was on tour and make our own songs. One day, my dad came home from a tour and the producer was playing our songs. My dad's like, "Who is that?" And the producer's like, "That's your son, Lil' Romeo." He was like, "What? They really did this while I was out of town?" Then he came and talked to me and asked if I was serious about it. I said, "Yeah," and then I got started. MTV: Do you see yourself and your cousins keeping this thing going? Now that you're an artist you can open the door for them. Romeo: One of my cousins [D Dawg] might come out. He's a real good rapper. He's on the remix of "That's Cool."
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